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Dakota Joshua
Dakota Joshua
	Joshua with the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2022
Born	May 15, 1996 (age 28); Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	182 lb (83 kg; 13 st 0 lb)
Position	Forward
Shoots	Left
NHL team; Former teams	Vancouver Canucks; St. Louis Blues
NHL draft	128th overall, 2014; Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career	2019–present

Dakota Joshua (born May 15, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 128th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2014 NHL entry draft. While he did not play for the Maple Leafs, he previously played for the St. Louis Blues.

Early life

Joshua was born on May 15, 1996, in Dearborn, Michigan.^[1]^[2] His mother played ice hockey growing up and competed in the Michigan Senior Women's Hockey League.^[3] His younger brother Jagger is also an ice hockey player.^[4] Growing up in Michigan, Joshua played junior ice hockey for the Honeybaked under-16 midget team and was invited to the USA Hockey select national team evaluation camp.^[5]

Playing career

Junior

Following the 2011–12 season,^[1] Joshua was drafted by the Sioux Falls Stampede in the third round of the United States Hockey League (USHL) draft.^[6] After splitting the 2012–13 season between Honeybaked and the USHL, Joshua was drafted 156th overall by the Plymouth Whalers in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection.^[7] Despite being drafted in the OHL, he continued to play in the USHL for the 2013–14 season.^[1]

Joshua was ranked 157th overall amongst North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.^[8] He was not invited to the NHL draft combine.^[9] Joshua was eventually selected in the fifth round, 128th overall, in the 2014 NHL entry draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was unaware he had been drafted until he received a phone call from Toronto management while in the car.^[10] After drafting Joshua, Maple Leafs' amateur scouting director Dave Morrison spoke highly of him as a player, saying: "He's tall, very athletic and we saw some flashes of real good skill towards the end of the year. His coaches couldn't say enough good things about him. He's very diligent in two ways of the game, a top nine potential player."^[11]

Joshua spent two full seasons with the Stampede, during which he helped them win the 2015 Clark Cup championship.^[5]^[12]

Collegiate

In his freshman season at the Ohio State University, Joshua recorded 17 points in 29 games for the Buckeyes.^[1] He recorded his first collegiate goal, which turned out to be the game-winner, during a shootout against the University of Michigan on January 15, 2016.^[13] However, four days later, he received a game suspension as a result of his actions during the contest against Michigan on October 17.^[14] He helped the Buckeyes qualify for the 2016 Big Ten tournament, but they lost in the semifinals to the top-seeded University of Minnesota.^[15] The following season, Joshua recorded 12 goals and 23 assists,^[1] earning Honorable Mention All-Big Ten accolades in March 2017.^[16] As well, off the ice he was selected for the Ohio State Scholar–Athlete while majoring in sport industry and selected for the Academic All-Big Ten team.^[2]

Professional

On July 12, 2019, Joshua's rights were traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for future considerations.^[17] Joshua made his NHL debut on March 1, 2021, in a 5–4 win over the Anaheim Ducks, and scored a goal.^[18]^[19] After scoring in his debut, Joshua said: "It was all I expected and then some. To play in the National Hockey League is the biggest honor you can have in the sport of hockey. So it was an unreal experience to be a part of the club today."^[20] He was reassigned to the taxi squad shortly after but called up again on March 5.^[21]

As a free agent from the Blues, Joshua signed a two-year, $1.65 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 13, 2022.^[22] On February 13, 2024, in a 4–2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, he achieved a Gordie Howe hat trick with an assist on each of Conor Garland's two goals, also scoring the Canucks' last goal of the match and fought MacKenzie Entwistle, both in the third period.^[23]

On June 27, 2024, after setting career-highs in goals and assists with the Canucks, Joshua signed a four-year, $13 million contract extension to remain with the team.^[24] In the summer of 2024, Joshua was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which required surgery and made him miss the training camp for the 2024–25 season.^[25] He returned to play on November 14, in a 5–2 loss against the New York Islanders.^[26]

Career statistics

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2012–13	U.S. National Development Team	USHL	6	2	0	2	2	—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Sioux Falls Stampede	USHL	1	0	1	1	0	—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Sioux Falls Stampede	USHL	55	17	21	38	58	3	0	0	0	8
2014–15	Sioux Falls Stampede	USHL	52	20	24	44	74	11	4	9	13	38
2015–16	Ohio State University	B1G	29	5	12	17	50	—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Ohio State University	B1G	33	12	23	35	58	—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Ohio State University	B1G	34	15	11	26	32	—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Ohio State University	B1G	32	9	13	22	67	—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	San Antonio Rampage	AHL	30	3	4	7	25	—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Tulsa Oilers	ECHL	20	3	8	11	4	—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Utica Comets	AHL	6	2	1	3	2	—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	St. Louis Blues	NHL	12	1	0	1	7	—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Springfield Thunderbirds	AHL	35	9	11	20	23	18	7	8	15	58
2021–22	St. Louis Blues	NHL	30	3	5	8	16	1	0	0	0	0
2022–23	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	79	11	12	23	60	—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	63	18	14	32	60	13	4	4	8	10
NHL totals			184	33	31	64	143	14	4	4	8	10